Baghdad: The US military on Tuesday (local time) carried out strikes targeting three facilities in Iraq linked to Iran-backed militia in retaliation for an attack on an Iraqi air base that left several American troops wounded, according to the Pentagon. The US strikes hit militia facilities in western Iraq, near the Syrian border, said the US Central Command, hours after Washington alleged militants using one-way attack drones at the al-Asad Air Base.
"Today, at President Biden’s direction, US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq. These precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against US and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias," said US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday.
US troops in Iraq and Syria have been attacked about 150 times by Iran-aligned militants since the Israel-Hamas war started in October last year, creating pressure on US President Joe Biden to respond militarily, despite political sensitivities in Baghdad. On Saturday, four US personnel suffered traumatic brain injuries after the same air base was hit by multiple ballistic missiles and rockets fired by Iranian-backed militants from inside Iraq.
US Central Command said the attack targeted headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack drone capabilities of the group. "US CENTCOM forces conducted unilateral airstrikes against three facilities used by Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq. These strikes targeted KH headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV capabilities," it said in a statement.
In Iraq, a medical source and a militant source said the US strikes killed at least two militants and that four other people were wounded. Kataib Hezbollah military spokesperson Jaafar al-Husseini said in a post on X that the group would continue to target "enemy bases" until the end of Israel's siege in Gaza and singled out US support for Israel's campaign.
Attacks on the US in Iraq
The war in Gaza has been spreading, with the US engaged in a bitter fight against Yemen-based Houthi rebels who have launched attacks on ships in the Red Sea. These attacks, allegedly by Iran-backed forces, against the US are seen in retaliation for its support of Israel in its war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas after the October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel.
The US has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq, advising and assisting local forces to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, but attacks on US troops have escalated since the Israel-Hamas war broke out. Earlier this month, An Iran-backed militia leader accused of staging recent attacks on United States personnel was killed in a retaliatory drone strike by the US military in Baghdad, drawing condemnation from the Iraqi government. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office announced moves to evict US forces after the strike.
The Pentagon has said it has not been formally notified of any plans to end the US troop presence in the country and says its troops are deployed to Iraq at the invitation of the government in Baghdad. Last month, the US embassy in Iraq came under fire through a multi-mortar attack allegedly by an Iran-backed militia, which vowed more such attacks on US interests in Iraq as America continues to back Israel. At least seven rounds of mortar were launched against the US embassy compound in Baghdad, although no injuries or infrastructural damage was reported.
US attacks on Houthis
Meanwhile, the US and British forces conducted a second joint attack against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, targeting a Houthi underground storage site along with missile and surveillance capabilities in eight locations, according to the Pentagon. This marks the eighth time the US has carried out attacks against the Houthis and the second time the UK has participated in them.
The targets included missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, radars, and deeply buried weapons storage facilities, which were used by the Yemen-based group to attack merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. A senior US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said roughly 25 to 30 munitions were fired, including from warplanes launched from a US aircraft carrier.
The Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping and stoked fears of global inflation. They have also deepened concern that fallout from the Israel-Hamas war could destabilise the Middle East. The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have said their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel's operations in Gaza intensify.
So far, the eight rounds of strikes over the past month have failed to stop Houthi attacks against shipping. US President Joe Biden said last week that air strikes would continue even as he acknowledged they may not be halting the Houthi attacks. Experts say Biden's emerging strategy on Yemen aims to weaken the Houthi militants but stops well short of trying to defeat the group or directly address Iran.
The confrontation risks an expansion of the conflict beyond Hamas-governed Gaza, where the local health ministry says over 25,000 people - or more than 1 per cent of Gaza's 2.3 million population - have been killed in Israel's assault. Iran backs Hamas, Lebanon-based group Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and their involvement in the war has drawn strong condemnation from Western countries.
(with inputs from agencies)
ALSO READ | 24 Israeli troops killed in deadliest attack on IDF forces in Gaza since Hamas' Oct 7 attack
